


Smooth Ocean Blues

by DreamingDemon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - No Powers, Circus, F/F, F/M, Gypsy AU, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, alternate universe - no hawkmoth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-09 23:11:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20125408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamingDemon/pseuds/DreamingDemon
Summary: The Kwami Circus hadn't been to Paris in many years, having spent time traveling around southern France and northern Spain. With the next Clan Gathering approaching they head north where a pair of acrobats might just happen across their next big adventure.The gypsy/circus au literally no one asked for. Aged up characters, roughly 18-19.





	1. Chapter 1

The world held its breath as she closed her eyes, and everything fell away. For a flicker of a moment all was quiet and still before she snapped her eyes open exhaled sharply and dove off the platform. Below, green eyes tracked her movement, anticipating her trajectory as she hurled towards the ground. _Snap._ Her yoyo caught the bar and her momentum flung her in a graceful arc across the arena. She twisted at the last second throwing herself as high as she could while she yanked the yoyo back to do it all over again. The crowd roared, and below her Chat's smile was dazzling.

  


The world spun as she sailed around the arena periodically tangling with Chat for a pair stunt before letting him launch her back into the air for the next trip around. Through it all brilliant green eyes traced her path and Chat sprang around on the ground staying beneath her in case she fell.

  


She landed with a flourish and Chat rolled out of a flip rising to his feet gracefully and taking her hand. They bowed low as Alya came skipping out, arms wide as she walked the perimeter of the arena.

  


"That was the famous Ladybug and Chat Noir, give it up for the best acrobats in France!" She called, ramping up the crowd even more as the pair bowed to the other sides of the arena. "Next up we have Alix, the fastest woman in Europe!"

  


The pair took their cue and slipped past the curtain as Alix zipped across the space towards Alya, screeching to a half beside her and grinning at the crowd. The thick curtain fell shut and Marinette let out a breath as she headed towards her tent to change, Adrien falling into step beside her.

  


Torches stuck into the ground every few feet guided them through the maze of wagons and tents, thrown up in a way that utilized every inch of space and left no real path between. Clouds had gathered above them threatening rain for most fo the afternoon, and Marinette hoped it would hold off until at least the next morning. Sleeping in a wet tent was no fun and finding enough space in one of the wagons was difficult when everyone was competing against you.

  


"Tonight was one of your best nights since we got here, don't you think my lady?" Adrien had his arms crossed behind his head as he stared up at the sky.

  


Marinette shrugged, glancing up again as lightning flashed deep in the clouds. "It was alright I guess. I missed the last flip in the first sequence and almost missed my landing in the third. The rest was ok."

  


"I think you're being a little hard on yourself," He turned his head to watch her out of the corner of his eye. "You were fantastic."

  


She smiled, looking down at the ground. "Thanks kitty."

  


"Anytime my lady." He bowed low with a twirl and a grin. "Sleep well and try to stay dry tonight."

  


"You too." She rolled her eyes at his antics and peeled off to the right towards her tent tucked between her parent’s and one of the supply wagons. Thunder echoed in the distance and the wind picked up as she ducked inside.

  
  
  


Deep blue eyes follow the pair as they slip behind the curtain, ignoring the girl now breezing around the space at high speed through a series of ramps and platforms. An elbow landed sharply in his ribcage and he jerked, earning a scowl from the woman to his left. He flashed an apologetic smile her way then narrowed his eyes at his sister. She stared flatly back then flicked her gaze to the curtain and back. He rolled his eyes and shrugged slightly. She continued staring at him. He shrugged again and looked back towards the arena floor ending the conversation.

  


The acrobatic pair had been a sight to behold, moving effortlessly through the air and across the floor, perfectly in sync. He'd never seen a sight so beautiful and he ached for his guitar. His fingers twitched in his lap and he pointedly ignored Juleka’s knowing gaze.

  


The show marched on until finally a handful of the performers came back out for a final bow, the acrobatic pair not among them. The crowd cheered enthusiastically and the performers all filed out of the arena once more, signaling the end of the show. Luka trailed a few steps behind his sister and her partner as Rose chattered about the show and Juleka nodded along silently. His gaze trailed over the mass of tents and wagons wondering where in the mess the missing acrobats were and if he would see them again.


	2. Chapter 2

He dragged her forwards nearly bouncing from foot to foot, his eyes wide and bright compared to hers, half open and dull. Sometime early in the morning the rain had started, deceptively light before abruptly coming down in heavy sheets. Her tent was soaked in exactly two and a half minutes from when it started, and she'd spent the remainder her of the night curled up on a crate just barely beneath the overhand of the wagon beside her tent, the rest of the space already playing host to a handful of others. Adrien had come sprinting over right after she'd curled as small as she could to wedge herself into the space, and scaled the stack beside her, pressing himself flat in the scant inches between them and the wagon's roof. She had no idea how he was so chipper when she knew he hadn't gotten anymore sleep than she had.

  


"Stop pulling, it's not like it's going anywhere." She hissed, resembling his cat Plagg so much that Adrien broke out laughing, loudly. Marinette sunk further into herself as people around them turned to stare.

  


They'd dressed in their usual 'city wear' like they did every time they ventured into a town on a stop, but they still stuck out like a sore thumb. Her with her blue-black hair and exotic appearance, and him with his electric green eyes and over-the-top mannerisms. Well they made quite a pair any day. She curled her fingers around the edge of her sleeve and focused on the cobblestones beneath her feet to avoid the judgement. Gypsies were fine when they stayed in their camp and didn’t linger more than a week, but as soon as they ventured into town attitudes changed swiftly. The pair were no stranger to being yelled out of town simply for walking through.

  
  


The marketplace was a full frontal assault from the moment they crossed the invisible barrier on the cobblestones. Noise rang out, bouncing off the stone walls separating it from the city and the port. Every corner exploded in color with brightly woven fabrics thrown over every available surface, and towering piles of spices on large platters. Her mouth watered as she caught a whiff of something she couldn't even begin to describe and she glanced at Adrien, frozen beside her. A moment passed and he glanced back, eyes sparkling to match his grin.

  


They wandered aimlessly through the rows, gawking at flashy jewelry and sighing dreamily at baskets of the smoothest silks. When they reached the fruit stands Adrien bought a little bag of mixed berries that they shared as they strolled down the next row. Strange scents lingered in the air as they passed the stalls selling spices from far away places they'd never heard of. The aroma turned salty as they approached the fish stalls. One in particular had a large crowd gathered around it pressed tightly into the space and all shouting over each other.

  


The sun was beginning to set by the time they made it to the last row of stalls situated along the low wall that lined the riverbank. The soft picking of guitar strings drew her attention first as she scanned the crowd trying to find it's source. Her gaze landed on a figure reclined against the wall with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. She nudged Adrien and they moved closer to the stall he sat behind. They had a seemingly random collection of trinkets, jewelry and other odds and ends scattered across a line of crates with a faded emerald cloth thrown over it. A girl with multicolored hair perched on another crate while a burly boy sat on the ground leaning with his back against the crate.

  


"See anything you like?" She chirped warmly, bouncing to her feet.

  


Marinette couldn't help letting her gaze drift to the guitar playing guy and heat flooded her cheeks. Beside her Adrien, as usual, steered the spotlight off of her and onto himself, giving her a few seconds to pull herself together.

  


"Where did all of these come from?" He asked, leaning forward for a closer look.

  


Her eyes went wide. "Well all over really, we travel up and down the Seine trading. Our other stall has a bunch of fish, a few rows over." While she spoke guitar guy popped one eye open before slowly opening the other and focusing on her and Adrien. She blushed again and looked down at the array of objects. The tune changed from gentle plucking to soft strumming. The melody wrapped around her making her dizzy and relaxed all at once before flowing easily into something a little more upbeat and playful that reminded her oddly of Adrien.

  


She risked a glance and found guitar guy's gaze now focused more on her partner before it flicked back to her and the song changed back to the dizzying melody. She blinked a few times reassuring herself that she wasn't actually going through one of her sequences, but planted firmly on the ground. His lips tugged up one one side in a smile that made Marinette's stomach erupt into butterflies and she blushed hotly again.

  


"Are you ok Mari?" Adrien's voice broke her from her thoughts and she looked up to find everyone's attention focused on her. Though the girl’s gaze had a knowing gleam and she briefly glanced at guitar guy. It only made Marinette blush harder.

  


She laughed nervously and waved away the question. "I'm fine, just got lost in my thoughts. Don't worry about me!"

  


Adrien stared at her for another second before shrugging it off and going back to his conversation with the girl. Marinette sort of wanted the ground to swallow her. When she looked up guitar guy was on his feet, guitar occupying his hammock-chair as he approached them.

  


"You put on quite a lovely show last night," his voice was velvety soft with a slight roughness to it, Marinette could have listened to for hours. "Both of you." He shifted his appraising look to Adrien who blushed faintly and offered a friendly smile.

  


"Thank you! It's not very often anyone recognizes us outside of our costumes." Marinette was sure only she could hear the undercurrent of embarrassed nerves to his tone. Then again they'd been working together for six years now, ever since she'd found him holed up in one of the wagons hiding.

  


"That's surprising, you both have quite a unique song.”

  


Adrien chuckled, not entirely sure what to make of the comment. "Thank you."

  


The girl rolled her eyes and moved to perch on the box again. "You're doing it again Luka."

  


Guitar guy, Luka, held up his hands in surrender and laughed softly, Marinette melted. "Alright, alright I won't both you anymore." He winked at Marinette and smiled warmly at Adrien. "I hope you two have an enjoyable evening. Will we be seeing you tomorrow night at the gathering?"

  


Marinette and Adrien shared a look then nodded perfectly in sync, Luka smiled to himself. "Then we'll be seeing one another tomorrow." With a nod he gathered up his guitar and sunk back into his seat, head tilted back and eyes closed.

  



	3. Chapter 3

The arena was mostly empty when they ducked between the curtains. After the show the night before the guys in charge of take down had folded the bleachers away to provide more space for whoever needed it. Off to one side Chloe was methodically stretching and chatting with Sabrina while she kept half her focus on the eight clubs she had in the air. Across from them Kagami coached Alya's younger sisters through their latest routine on the tightrope.

  


Adrien led Marinette over to a free block of space and dropped to the ground beginning the set of stretches they'd worked out years ago. His thoughts kept drifting back to the man they'd met the day before in the marketplace, and the brush of long fingers across strings.

  


"-en?" Marinette's voice broke him out of his thoughts and he looked over to find her balanced on her hands watching him upside-down.

  


"Sorry, what did you say?" He blushed faintly and moved onto the next stretch.

  


"I asked what you were thinking about." She dropped down into an arch before pushing up onto her feet.

  


"Oh." He looked down at his hands, toying with a lose string on his fingerless gloves. Despite the thick curtain the arena was still chilly in the crisp fall air and they’d started dressing in layers with the changing seasons. "I was just thinking about the market yesterday."

  


She made a noise in her throat and flopped onto the ground beside him, her head landing on his thigh. "I wish we could have tried some of that grilled meat from that one stall." She closed her eyes and hummed. "I've never smelled something so good in my _life_."

  


He didn't answer, still staring at his hands. Marinette popped one eye open and rolled onto her front, folding her hands and resting her chin on them. "Are you alright? You seem a bit out of it."

  


Adrien blinked a few times and glanced back up at her. “I’m probably not be the best spotter today, you might want to ask Kagami if you plan on doing anything aerial."

  


She frowned and twisted into a sitting position, the bottoms of her feet pressed together, hands resting on her ankles. "Is this about that guy? The one with the guitar?"

  


Leaning forward, he let his hair fall into his eyes, and wrapped his hands around the bottoms of his feet, laying flat against his legs. "Maybe."

  


"He was pretty cute, don't you think?" She toppled forward laying across his back and looping her arms around his neck.

  


He huffed softly and turned his face away to hide his blush. "I have no idea what you're talking about my lady, you're the only one for me."

  


It was her turn to roll her eyes, and she pushed off his back to her feet. She opened her mouth but before she could speak Chloe's voice broke them out of their bubble.

  


"Yes, yes, we all know how in love the pair of you are." She flapped her hand as she spoke, not quite looking at them. "Now Adrikins, help me stretch."

  


Adrien sighed and straightened up. "Can't Sabrina help you like she usually does?"

  


"Of course not, she doesn't weight nearly enough." She flapped her hand again, the other coming to land on her hip.

  


The pair of acrobats shared a look, and Adrien pushed himself to his feet with a muttered, "thanks, Chloe." Marinette stifled her giggles behind her hand.

  


"I'll just go see if Kagami is done with the twins. I'll be needing a spotter if you're stealing mine again." The acrobat turned on her heel and flipped easily across the arena towards the tightrope.

  


"Come on Adrikins." Chloe sang, dropping to the floor in a full split.

  
  


The morning passed in a haze of instructions from Chloe on where to put his weight, and absently tracking Marinette as she swung back and forth trying to figure out her newest trick idea, Kagami staying centered beneath her.

  


Around midday Nadja and Nora threw open the curtains and began dragging the heavy bundle of netting inside. "Alright kids, everybody scram. It's time for the adults to play."

  


Chloe scoffed and rose to her feet, brushing invisible dirt off herself. "We aren't kids anymore Nora."

  


The older woman laughed loudly and ruffled Chloe's hair as she passed. The blonde let out an outraged sound and stomped away, Sabrina trotting after her.

  


Adrien scooped Marinette into his arms and headed for the exit, Kagami following unhurried after them. "Come on, let's get something to eat, I'm starved!"

  
  


Most meals happened scattered about the grass between tents in little clusters, lunch however was the exception. Since most of the performers and crew were still in camp, everyone gathered around the big bonfire in the very center of the mess to eat together.

  


Adrien let Marinette down as they joined the loosely formed line to get food, and folded his arms across her shoulders, using her as a leaning post. Well versed in his antics she widened her stance slightly and studied the field. The camp elder Master Fu caught her eye and waved her over after they'd helped themselves to a bowl of thick stew and a few slices of bread.

  


The younger cast of performers seemed to be assembling around him and the trio followed suit, finding a free patch of grass. The acrobats tangled together without thinking, and Alix slouched against Marinette's back.

  


They ate in silence, waiting for Master Fu to gather his thoughts. "It has been over five years since the clans last gathered. Some of you might even remember the last meeting." He paused, making eye contact with each of them briefly. "Clan gathering are a way to celebrate our successes and share what we've learned on our travels. Information is shared, and decisions are made regarding the next gathering. It is not uncommon for individuals to part ways with their clan for a time and travel with one of the others. I myself traveled with the River Seine Band for a time in my youth."

  


"Like sixty years ago." Chloe muttered. Adrien shoved her knee with his foot and gave her a look. Master Fu ignored the exchange.

  


"This gathering is smaller than usual as two of the other tribes chose not to join, as they are traveling further east for the time being." He shifted on his crate resettling himself more comfortably and took a sip of his tea. "The former head of the Seine Band was lost three years ago, and since then his son has taken over the role. He is young, not much older than you yourselves in fact, and a wonderful example of responsibility and leadership."

  


Adrien rolled his eyes and half listened as Master Fu waxed poetic about respect and making the decision that is right, but not always easy. Sometime later a slip of a shadow wandered over to him and brushed against his arm. Plagg was one of the camp cats, and often disappeared as soon as they finished setting up camp, wandering back and checking in a few times a day. He was a sweetheart compared to Chloe’s cat Pollen, who let no one but Chloe or Sabrina anywhere near her. The conversation devolved into a philosophical discussion that only Kagami and Sabrina seemed able to keep up with, and it wasn't long before Marinette was staring off into space, absently petting Plagg as he rolled around on her lap. Chloe had simply left shortly after she'd finished eating and walked off towards her tent.


End file.
